Focus……Focus…….Focus II

In yesterday’s blog I shared my need to have a “Tonto”, in my life to focus me on the task at hand. I caught you all up on all the many Tonto like people in my life to this point. I have always believed that fate or G-d or some higher power, puts something or someone in our paths when we need them and as one of them leaves someone will take their place.

I have come now to understand that it is not really the other person, but their ability to allow you to see your own strengths more clearly. About six months ago I had an e-mail from a high school classmate, asking for some information for a newsletter he is publishing on-line about our class. I really never knew him and he is living half way across the country, but I answered the e-mail, and we began corresponding back and forth. It turns out he is a corporate coach and for some reason he sent me a list of questions to answer when he found out I had been a motivational speaker.

During this same period I have dragged my feet about beginning a group of seminars to help 60+ people get more out of their lives. I have tried to get a new Tonto, to move forward on these seminars with me, without any luck. Some people don’t really understand cyberspace, some others must deal with a tangible product and some have just been too busy with other projects.

I have put off doing what I know it will take to get this off the drawing board. I tend to allow almost any request from my family or a friend to take me “off message”, as the politicians would say. It was one thing I loved about having a job, I could turn down requests with “I’d love to help but I’m due at work by 11or 12″. No, I can’t do that, never crosses my lips unless I am committed elsewhere.

I began to answer his questions, one at a time, when I remembered. I had to keep going back through my e-mails to find them, I think I even missed a few, here and there. I was treating them as random thoughts with no real connection to each other. I then had a call from“thecoach“, and we talked a little about my ideas and he asked if I had a business plan. Oh, did I fail to mention this guy has an MBA from Harvard Business School, remember my theory of people being placed in your life! He was nice enough to send me an outline of a business plan and in return I felt the least I could do was answer the three remainingquestions.

While answering those three questions, I realized I was articulating my plan for this new company I am planning. I scrounged up all of his questions, put them in their proper order and sent a copy off to “coach”. Those answers will certainly contain my Mission Statement if not a good percent of my business plan. So, while I still want another Tonto, I no longer need another Tonto, I am my own Tonto!